NewsworthyINDUSTRY NEWS Window Film Added To CA Building Code
The California Energy Commission has recognized window film as an energy-efficient
building product in the most recent changes to its California building
code. The change to the code was voted through on May 31 and will go into
effect on January 2014.

“Every manufactured fenestration product shall have attached
to it a clearly visible temporary label that lists the U-factor, the solar
heat gain coefficient (SHGC) and Visual Transmittance (VT),” reads the
building code. “Applied window films installed as part of an alteration
complies with the U-factor, SHGC and VT requirement.” The changes to the
code require window film to have a National Fenestration Rating Council
(NFRC) certification label, manufacturer’s name, a 10-year warranty certificate
and compliance with the International Window Film Association’s (IWFA)
visual quality standards.

The IWFA helped spearhead the changes.
“This addition to the code is a major step forward for energy efficiency
in California, especially when considering the amount of untreated glass
in the state in the majority of buildings,” said Darrell Smith, executive
director of the IWFA. “The wide application of window film is a simple
way to immediately cut utility demand generation and the resulting reduction
of peak demand on utilities and greenhouse gases will further the state’s
reputation as an environmental leader.”

COMPANY NEWS Solar Gard Releases Second Environmental Product Declaration
Solar Gard has released a follow-up to its original Environmental Product
Declaration (EPD). Within the new EPD, 14 solar control architectural
window films have been added to the report. The addition of these films
brings Solar Gard’s total number of carbon negative window films to 46.

“Solar Gard’s continued pledge to environmental responsibility
demonstrates that sustainability is not a destination, but a journey,”
said president Christophe Fremont. “The publication of our second EPD
fortifies our continued commitment to transparency. Simply manufacturing
an energy-saving product is not enough, in order to strengthen the worldwide
movement for sustainable building we must validate our environmental claims.”

LEGAL NEWS President of Quebec Film Company Pleads Guilty to Assault
Yannick Larose, president of X-Vitres Teintees, a Quebec window film company,
has pled guilty to being the mastermind behind two counts of assault and
two counts of aggravated assault. The original indictment filed against
Larose included 16 charges ranging from damaging property to assault.
Larose, who was later affiliated with Pelti Vitres Teintees, pled guilty
to five of these charges. The court documents obtained by Window Film
magazine detail Larose’s relationships with other industry professionals
and his alleged destruction of property belonging to others.

The court documents state that Larose without any justification
and in the interest of acquiring something, misled or attempted to mislead
Jean-Sébastien Boyer into carrying out an act using threats, accusations
or violence.

The documents specify that he forced Boyer to be a part
of a trade association and prevented him from freely working in the window
film industry. The documents charge Larose with the same offense against
Pier-Luc Paré, Christian Bouchard and David Thibeault. Charges of assault
and battery against Paré, Bouchard, Thibeault and Boyer were also made.

Larose was also accused of five counts of “intentionally
or in disregard of the consequences of his act, caused by fire or explosion
damage to a good that did not fully belong to him.” The locations include
the Tech-Teinte trade, the Or du pare Brise trade, Or Tint trade, property
of 9098-5698 Quebec, Inc.

I am very pleased that the Quebec Provincial Police persevered
with the long investigation that ultimately resulted in charges being
laid against Yannick Larose,” says Christian Bouchard of Reflex Teinte.
“I was one of the victims of his activities and, with his having pleaded
guilty, justice will be well served.”

Larose was arrested in August of 2009 and released on bail.
He will face sentencing on October 16 and the judge has been notified
that the prosecutors intend to seek jail time in sentencing.

EVENT NEWS Conference Seminar Schedule Now Available
The full seminar schedule is available online for the International Window
Film Conference and Tint-Off (IWFC). The IWFC is set to be held September
20-22, 2012 at the Kentucky International Convention Center and the Hyatt
Regency Louisville in Louisville, Ky. The Exhibition/Extravaganza, including
the two Tint-Off™ competitions, will be held September 21-22.

Special sessions include a keynote presentation by Captain
Richard Phillips, who was captured by Somali pirates in 2009 when they
hijacked the ship he was commanding, the Maersk Alabama. Captain Richard
Phillips is scheduled to speak Friday morning about the vital importance
of leadership and teamwork. A “floating CEO” in charge of the day-to-day
operations of a multi-million dollar ship, Captain Phillips has a compelling
story and valuable lessons for anyone involved in running a business today.

IWFA accreditation classes will be offered as well. The
IWFA will hold review and testing for the basic solar control accreditation,
safety/security accreditation, automotive accreditation and advanced solar
control accreditation Thursday afternoon. Interested participants must
register prior to the event with the IWFA and pay the required fees, after
which the IWFA will send the educational study manuals to review before
testing.

“For our IWFA members, the event in Louisville, Kentucky
is a natural extension of the many benefits of membership in our trade
association. A very key benefit is to learn, first hand, how the IWFA
supports our industry and moves it forward in a number of areas,” says
Jack Mundy, chairperson of the IWFA’s member action committee. “It is
also an opportunity to earn important accreditations, share information
with industry experts, see new products and get involved with the business
of our industry. For non-members, it brings the opportunity to see why
being a member of the IWFA can help make them more successful and it also
offers an easy venue to join and be a part of supporting our industry.
There is also a great opportunity to network throughout the IWFC. There
is also a great opportunity to network throughout the IWFC. Last, and
certainly not least, it is a reality that tinters like to compete, and
we are offering both an automotive and flat glass Tint-Off competition
this year.”

Visit www.windowfilmmag.com /iwfc/seminars to view the full
seminar line-up. Seminars will be held in the Louisville Marriott Downtown
which is directly connected to the Hyatt Regency Louisville and the Kentucky
International Convention Center via a skywalk.The IWFC is co-sponsored
by Window Film magazine and the International Window Film Association.
Auto Glass Week™ also will be held concurrently. The event is managed
by Window Film magazine.

Visit http://www.windowfilm mag.com/iwfc/ to register for
the event.

PROJECT NEWSIsraeli Film Company Offers Protection to Hospitals
The Israeli film company, Sunshield Safety Coating Solutions Ltd., has
developed a strong niche by providing and installing film in hospitals.
In fact, it set a goal to install more than one million square feet of
safety and security films on all the windows and glazing in major hospitals
throughout Israel. So far, Sunshield has orders from 16 out of the 28
area hospitals.

Sunshield has spent years explaining the benefits to government
officials and urging them to add protection to buildings in the area.

“The turning point was when officials saw a school building
we had protected in southern Israel that was hit by a Kassam rocket. All
the windows that had security film on them were shattered in place while
all windows in an adjacent building collapsed and people were injured,”
says Uriel Nathan, CEO and owner of Sunshield. “Due to several projects
where we installed films that proved to be life-saving, we had presented
a plan to the ministry of defense to budget and prioritize security film
installations in strategic buildings throughout the country which were
vital for the normal routine of life. The Israeli hospitals project is
a direct result of our efforts.”

With so many plans for installation at different hospitals
the project has proved to be challenging. Hospitals also provide additional
challenges when it comes to patient safety.

“Working in three to four public hospitals at the same time
is a very complex task, as the work needs to be completed fast and well.
Our installers and project managers must work in perfect harmony with
the hospital staff. There must be a very good understanding with the hospital
executives of the importance of this strategic work. That’s why, for example,
before entering each hospital we urge our contacts to notify by e-mail
all staff members regarding the work that will be done so everyone is
prepared and they know what to do,” says Nathan. “From the installer point
of view we have instructed all our teams to pay extra attention to special
circumstances such as working in operation rooms, heart patients, maternity
wards and nurseries.”

Sunshield used Llumar eight mil clear and solar combined
security films on all of the hospitals. A total of 25 Sunshield installers
have been involved in this project.

“This is not our first project installing security films
for hospitals,” says Nathan. “In the second Lebanon War and in Operation
“Cast Lead” we found ourselves working around the clock protecting hospitals
in Northern and Southern Israel with missiles falling around us. In these
tense times of uncertainty the importance of this project taking place
before the next military tension is of great strategic and psychological
value.”

Window Film Now Allowed on Big Rig Sidelites
The Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
(FMCSA) has issued a clarification to the safety regulations relating
to a truck’s window visibility that now allows the use of compliant window
films on big rigs’ sidelites. “The clarification represents information
that impacts millions of truck drivers who drive many hours at a stretch
in ‘big rigs’ weighing more than 26,000 pounds,” says Darrell Smith, executive
director of the International Window Film Association. “The FMCSA has
agreed with the International Window Film Association that the use of
‘clear’ window films with a minimum of 70 percent visibility rating installed
on the front side windows is permitted.”

“Sadly long-haul drivers, have faced skin cancer as ‘one
of the hazards of the job’ and we hope to help change that with this clarification,”
said Smith.

According to the Smith, the change from the FMCSA came after
numerous reports of higher than average rates of skin cancer on the left
side of the face and arm, citing a 2011 article in the Journal of the
American Academy of Dermatology, which pointed to driver-side UVA exposure
as a likely contributor to the disease.

“The health and safety of America’s truck drivers is of
the utmost importance to American Trucking Associations,” adds American
Truck Association president and CEO Bill Graves. “Whether it is doing
more to battle obesity and sleep apnea, or helping our drivers avoid skin
cancer, ATA has consistently advocated for sensible regulations to ensure
our drivers get and stay healthy. We appreciate the efforts of the IWFA
to help our industry take another step in that direction.”